"From the very beginning, the church has an enormous influence on what can come out of the research, both in terms of the questions asked and the conditions under which research is made possible," writes Loppacher in an article for the theological feuilleton "feinschwarz.net" (Wednesday).
In addition, not only in the MHG study, but also in various follow-up projects in the dioceses, the file material was selected and processed by church employees and, in the case of the MHG study, even completely anonymised in a multi-stage process.
"Direct, unfiltered and unrestricted access to church files and data is a fundamental prerequisite for investigative projects if they are to earn the title 'independent'," emphasises Loppacher, who has headed the new national service "Abuse in the Church Context" at the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland (RKZ) since 1 July 2024.
It is also noticeable that the focus in research and reappraisal as well as in prevention continues to be almost exclusively on minors affected, the expert continued.
"Adult victims and the sexual assaults against them in the context of parishes, association work, religious life, new spiritual communities and prayer groups must also be taken into account, both in the projects to come to terms with the abuse and in prevention work."
In comparison, the contracts for the pilot study on sexual abuse in the church in Switzerland, the initial results of which were published last year, have a set of rules that exclude any influence and guarantee the freedom of research and independence of the project.
"From the outset, a central concern in the research design was to focus on minors and adults as victims of sexual abuse by clergy, members of religious orders and other church employees and volunteers."
Far ahead in prevention
In contrast, Loppacher praises the fact that the Church in Germany is working on the systemic causes of sexualised violence in its Synodal Path. The focus is on dealing with power, the image of priests, sexual ethics and the role of women.
"The Synodal Path is committed to ensuring that these topics remain on the agenda and are addressed, despite widespread resistance. (...) Everyone can only benefit from a more careful use of power, from more participation, from a culture of discussability and from more quality and professionalism in pastoral care - believers, employees and leaders alike."
The Swiss expert also praised the efforts of the church in Germany in the area of prevention. "In terms of prevention work, we are many years ahead of other countries here, including Switzerland."
Experts have been employed in all dioceses and comprehensive codes of conduct have been implemented in many places. "From this point of view, the church is actually a completely different organisation today than it was 20 years ago."
In principle, Loppacher notes that despite very different approaches, the findings on the extent, enabling conditions and causes of sexualised violence and its cover-up in the church are very similar in both countries.
A self-critical examination of the research findings and their consequences is still lacking in many places. Instead, cosmetic corrections are often made.
"The church needs help to find its way out of the mental and structural impasse," demands Loppacher.